Lords of the Rose
by Tamashi.no.Koe
Summary: For Ryoma's own good, the Seigaku regulars aspire to transform him from Class A Jerk to Five Star Boyfriend before Sakuno gets fed up. But as matchmaking goes, the matchmakers get much more involved in this 'love' business than they had ever expected to.
1. Operation Echizen: The Boyfriend Plan

**LORDS OF THE ROSE**

* * *

_Chapter One - Operation Echizen: The Boyfriend Plan_

* * *

_There is a story about eight tennis players who attended a school called Seigaku. In this story, a little girl named Ryuzaki Sakuno had a not-so-secret crush on Seigaku's youngest tennis prodigy, Echizen Ryoma. Sadly, all Ryoma was interested in was winning the National Tennis Championship, and never gave Sakuno the attention she longed for._

_That story was three years ago. Three years ago, the Seigaku Boys' Tennis Team won the Nationals. Three years after that, they were all united once more in Seigaku High School._

And then Sakuno ran away, crying. Again.

"ECHIZEN!" With a deafening bellow, Momoshiro Takeshi lunged at the freshman, grabbing a fistful of the boy's shirt. "Look what you've done!"

The hapless kouhai blinked his large, golden eyes. "Look what I've…what did I do?"

"Oh, for the love of…" Releasing Ryoma in disgust, Momo waved his arms expressively at Sakuno's rapidly retreating back. "You made her cry, that's what you did, idiot! You can't make girls cry. You can't!"

Echizen Ryoma looked as though he had just been told that it was wrong to make his upperclassman Kikumaru Eiji pay for his afternoon burgers. It just didn't make sense to him. "I can't?" he repeated guilelessly.

His senpai stressed once more that, no, he couldn't. "Will you guys just _look_ at him?" The powerhouse flung out a hand and gestured at Ryoma, complaining to anyone who was close enough to hear him. "The brat has absolutely _no_ idea how to be nice to girls. He made poor Sakuno-chan cry and isn't even running after her to apologize!"

"I just said I don't like rice cakes," the freshman grumbled to himself. "I didn't—"

"When a lady offers you her cooking, _you eat it_." Momo glared menacingly, leaning in until his nose was a hair's breath away from Ryoma's. "I don't care whether you want to or not—though you _should_ want to—you can't refuse a girl's cooking when she made it especially for you. You eat it, and you _appreciate_ it—"

"…But I don't like it…"

Momo roared with frustration. "_Do_ something about him," he ordered the other tennis regulars who were cooling down after that day's practice. "Otherwise the brat will lose the heart of a nice girl and he'll waste his youth and never get a girlfriend and never find anyone to marry and live out the rest of his life as a lonely bachelor and die wrinkly and without love! Is that what you want, Echizen? To die alone and loveless?"

There was no reply.

Swinging around, Momo was just in time to see the subject of his dire threat walking away from the tennis courts and out the school gates.

"ARRG!"

"Relax, Momo," Oishi Syuichiro advised, wiping his face tiredly with a towel. "Maybe Echizen isn't really interested in girls right now. Maybe he just needs time."

"Time?" The Second Year paused in the act of yanking at his hair agitatedly. "He doesn't_ have _time. You remember that Kintaro kid the brat almost had to play at the Nationals a couple years ago? Every time he comes to Tokyo, he goes to visit Sakuno-chan. He eats everything she makes him, and says 'Sugoi! This is the best, yummiest food!' _every single time_."

"I think that just means he likes Ryuzaki-san's cooking," Kawamura Takashi suggested timidly.

"_Exactly_," Momo cried, making the elder power player jump. "Soon he'll want to keep Sakuno-chan to himself, and Echizen will lose the heart of a nice girl and he'll waste his youth and—"

"All right, all right, we get the point." Oishi held up both hands in surrender. "I suppose it wouldn't be going too far to say that Echizen doesn't have the best manners."

"That's why we've got to _do_ something."

Oishi shook his head exasperatedly. "Momo, I don't think—"

"Momo-chan's right." Eiji came to stand resolutely beside his kouhai, who was delighted at receiving some support at last. "Eiji-senpai, do you really think so?"

"Of course, nya! Echizen can't lose Sakuno-chan to this Kintaro. We can't let Shitenhouji win over Seigaku." Folding his arms firmly across his chest, the acrobatic player stared at the rest of his team with intense determination.

"I really don't think that's what this should be about…" Protesting weakly, Oishi turned to the person closest him. "Inui? Don't you think we should focus on making Echizen happy first?"

The dataman scribbled down a last few notations in his ever-present notebook. Then, helooked up and faced his vice-captain with an unreadable expression. "There is an eighty percent chance that if Echizen doesn't begin to reciprocate her feelings soon, Ryuzaki Sakuno will lose hope in him."

"INUI!"

"That does it." Momo pounded a fist into his palm. "We can't let Echizen stay a depressing single the rest of his life. We have to make sure that Sakuno-chan stays interested in the brat. He's going to learn how be a good boyfriend before she decides she likes that Kintaro better."

"I agree," Eiji cheered, punching his own fist into the air.

"Saa, what are we so excited about?" Fuji, who had just come back from the water fountain, looked between Momo and Eiji inquiringly.

"We are going to train Ochibi to be nicer to Sakuno-chan," the redhead informed him authoritatively. "He's going to be the world's best boyfriend."

"Fuji," Oishi implored helplessly. "Can't you say something to them? They've got all the wrong priorities and I'm really not sure Echizen is ready for this kind of thing."

Seigaku's tensai appeared to take his fellow Third Year's pleads into consideration. Humming, he tapped a finger lightly on his chin as he thought. "Maa…I suppose Echizen really isn't quite ready to be anyone's boyfriend yet…"

"_Thank_ you," Oishi said in relief.

"….so I think it's a good idea for us to help him get ready."

"FUJI!" Smaking himself on the forehead, Oishi screwed up his eyes and groaned. Really, where was Tezuka when you needed him? Their strict, no-nonsense captain would surely put an end to this foolery.

"Okay." Thoroughly convinced that he was in the right now that he had gained another supporter, Momo beckoned for his two senpais to come closer. "Now that we've agreed to help the brat, we need to decide what things he needs to improve on. Inui senpai, would you mind taking notes for us?"

Oishi opened his mouth, but before he could say a word—

"Not at all. This will be a rather intriguing experiment. It will generate a lot of good data."

"Thank you," Momo called over Oishi's despairing sigh. "First, I suggest that Echizen needs to learn how to appreciate Sakuno-chan's cooking."

Eiji nodded vigorously. "That's right. Ochibi needs to learn how to say 'please' and 'thank you' and 'that was yummy' just like that Kintaro."

"It would also be nice if he could do things for her in return," Fuji said thoughtfully. "Help her with her English work, perhaps? Or her tennis? Or maybe even cook a little something up for her; that's always a welcome personal touch."

"Awesome, Fuji senpai." Grinning, Momo rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Inui senpai, did you get all of that down? Great. We'll have to start training him right away… Tomorrow's a Saturday, how about it?"

Eiji, Fuji and Inui voiced their affirmatives, ignoring a certain vice-captain's "You're not _serious_ about this, are you? Echizen won't like you meddling in his life this way…"

"Wonderful. Since it's getting late, why don't we set up a four-way call tonight and talk about our plans after dinner?"

With that, the four schemers scattered, leaving Oishi's bleating protests, an 'Ah…well, I'm sure they're doing it for his own good' Taka and Kaidoh, who was warming up for his evening jog and hadn't heard a word of the conversation, behind.

And so, Operation Echizen: The Boyfriend Plan officially commenced.

* * *

"Seriously, Sakuno, you've _got_ to stop acting like it's the end of the world every time something like this happens." Not even looking up from the pair of sneakers she was scrutinizing, Tachibana Ann once again voiced her firm opinion on what her friend should do about the 'Ryoma-kun thing'.

"B—but he wouldn't even taste one…" the pig-tailed girl sniffed piteously as Osakada Tomoka patted her soothingly on the back. "I wasn't even trying to get him to eat the whole b—box…"

"My point exactly." Shaking her head at the shoes, Ann put them down and turned to give Ryuzaki Sakuno her full attention. "If the guy doesn't even have the basic common sense to accept your gift graciously, then you should just forget about him and find someone else."

"B—but…"

"Tomo." The Second Year girl snapped her fingers at her other kouhai. "What do you think? Isn't it just so obvious that Sakuno here should get a life and a _real_ boyfriend instead of pining over the same jerk she's been hung up on since junior high but _still doesn't treat her with basic respect and politeness_?" She raised her eyebrows meaningfully.

"Mou…" Tomo tugged lightly at a lock of her hair. "I don't know…Ryoma's gotten a lot better since these three years. He walks her home sometimes now—"

"When it's raining and he doesn't have an umbrella."

"Hey! At least he's doing _something_ right."

"But he's not doing _enough_ right. I don't know how Sakuno stands him. It's like she doesn't even know how a guy should treat a girl...Hey, when you think about it that way… You know what? There's something we should totally do. Let's set Sakuno up for a blind date!"

"Ann-chan!" Sakuno squealed, already panicking.

"That's probably not such a great idea," Tomo agreed, albeit reluctantly.

Ann blinked, perplexed. "Why not? It's a perfectly valid way to get her to branch out a little. Once you find out what _real_ dates are like—you know, dinner, movies; _not_ when you go to tennis games together so that you watch on the sidelines while he plays—you'll forget all about Echizen, Sakuno."

"Ano…b—but, Ann-chan…"

Tomo sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Truth be told, she thought Ann was on the right track; if their friend would just go out with other people for a few times and have some fun, she was sure to find a guy she could actually be happy with. The problem was, "She's Ryuzaki Sakuno. I mean, come on. Can you imagine her, I don't know, _not _passing out if you make her go out with some random guy she's never met?"

Another pair of sneakers was already in Ann's hands. The sports shop's salesperson made to assist her, but she waved him off with a smile and a shake of her head. "Point," she conceded. "But that one's easy. Just set her up with a guy she does know. And not a random one. Somebody who really might be right for her."

"Like?" Tomo prompted, still unsure.

"Say…Ohtori Choutarou? He's sweet."

"_Too_ sweet," Tomo countered before Sakuno could stutter out her own objection. "You'd be putting two ridiculously shy and innocent people together. Can't you already see the endless blushing? It would just be really awkward for them both."

Sakuno exhaled a long breath of relief. At least she could trust Tomo-chan to be on her side. This 'blind dating' idea sounded pretty frightening to her!

But Ann wasn't giving up. "Okay, someone with more self-confidence, then. To help bring her out of her shell." Giving up on sneakers, the three moved along to the tennis-racket section. "Atobe Keigo?"

Tomo burst out laughing while Sakuno gave a positively frantic squeak. "A—Ann," the former gasped through chortles that shook her whole body, "do you honestly think she could stand even a full minute in the presence of the Monkey King's 'prowess'? Get real, girl."

Ann pursed her lips stared at the others defensively. "What? I was just tossing out some suggestions. If you think you know better, then who do suppose she might like?"

Tomo calmed down enough to give the question some serious though. With baited breath, Sakuno awaited her classmate's answer. Surely Tomo-chan wouldn't think of anyone _too_ outrageous, would she? They had known each other for so long and knew each other so well.

"Kaidoh?"

Or maybe not so well.

"All right, this time _I'm_ putting my foot down," Ann groaned, rolling her eyes. "And there you were worrying that _Atobe_ would make her feel uncomfortable. I bet one _look_ from Kaidoh would send her running for the hills."

Both freshmen were mortified. "I happen to think he would be very gentle and caring with any girlfriend he had," Tomo muttered moodily while Sakuno laughed in embarrassment.

"Somebody less intimidating," insisted Ann impatiently.

"Let's see…Oishi? It's impossible to get intimidated by _him_. He's considerate and sensitive and everything. Plus, he's not stuck up or self-centered so he might actually make an effort to please her."

Finally, Sakuno found it impossible to stay silent any longer. "He's like an older brother to me. Going out with him would just be wrong," she asserted with a hint of finality.

"Then you choose," the two other girls declared in unison, spinning on their heels to face her squarely, arms crossed and waiting expectantly.

Sakuno froze up like she'd just found herself on the stage of an international rock concert with a microphone in her hands an a dozen stage lights glaring in her face. "A—ano…I…um…" Under her friends' pressing gaze, she flushed red.

Oh, _why_ were they trying so hard to make her do something so terrifying? What was wrong with Ryoma-kun, anyway? All she had to do was start to get things right once in a while. Like not making any more rice cakes.

"Um…I need to go…? Uh, sorry, but I really need to go to the supermarket now to get some ingredients for making tiramisu. I'm certain Ryoma-kun likes that." Before Ann or Tomo could stop her, she rushed out of the store with a hurried parting wave, pig-tails flying out behind her.

Both remaining girls looked at each other.

"That Echizen has no idea what he's missing out on, does he?"

* * *

Late at night, four tennis players huddled close to their respective desk lamps, pens in their hands and phone receivers to their ears, plotting.

"Okay, I think that's everything we need," Momo confirmed in a loud whisper as not to wake the rest of his family who were all sleeping in nearby rooms. "Fuji senpai? Are you sure your sister has all the things you said? She won't mind us using them, will she?"

"I went downstairs to check while you were discussing varieties, and yes, Nee-san has all we need, she's thrilled about what we're doing and doesn't mind at all. In fact, she said to call her if we want any more."

"Perfect. Inui senpai, didn't you say you had some of those huge plastic garbage bags?"

"That is correct. They are special toxin-resistant ones designed to contain extreme acids and alkalis."

"That's great! But…Inui senpai, why do you have bags like that?"

"Ah, you see, my experiments on new Inui juices—"

"_Right_. You know what? I don't I want to know. Just—all right, we have garbage bags. Right. Well, since this is Echizen we're dealing with, there will probably be a few mishaps, so we should at least have…let's say, three bags ready?"

The others concurred.

"That's all, isn't it? Good. Meet outside the brat's house at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

* * *

Author's Note: So. Another new idea that popped uninvited into my head and just wouldn't leave. Just so that we understand each other, this story is going to take on a similar tone to Ask For The Sky, another romantic comedy I wrote, for those who don't know. Meaning, it's another 'blowing off steam' fic and I'll probably not make too much of an effort to update regularly (though it'll be so much fun that I doubt it'll be a problem!), sorry. As this is also another one of my foolishly daring experiments with writing style, whether the story continues and in what direction will depend on feedback (this is a shameless demand for reviews, obviously).

In any case, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!


	2. What friends are for

_Chapter Two - What friends are for_

* * *

It was nearing midnight, but two certain girls were still wide awake and working hard. Sitting cross-legged on the thick ruby-red rug beside her bed, Ann crisply tidied a thin stack of paper, and then placed it between Tomo and herself. "Okay, we're set. Now all we have to do is rank them in the order of how likely they are to be right for Sakuno."

"I think we should go over the pros and cons of each one, and then decide," said Tomo, pulling the lists of potential dates towards her. Grabbing a pencil from her schoolbag, she slid down to lie on her stomach, propped up by her elbows, and started reading out names. "Let's start with some of mine. Kawamura Takashi."

"Split personality disorder," said Ann promptly. "He'll either be unbearably shy or just plain scary."

"We won't put him near the top of our final list, then." Tomo scribbled down a few notes. "Next. Kikumaru Eiji?"

Ann made a face. "Fun and friendly, but way too immature. I don't think he has any clue what normal people do on dates."

"He's comfortable to be around, though," Tomo countered. "And as you said, he _is _fun."

"All right. We'll have him fairly close to the top but not within the first five. Next?"

Tomo paused in her note-taking and glanced at the third name. "Oshitari Yuushi."

For the next few moments, Ann was silent. Tomo looked up hopefully, thinking she had come up with someone that met the older girl's approval at last. Sadly, she was only met by her friend's incredulous stare. "Tomo, are you suggesting these guys at random?"

The freshman scowled. "If you can't appreciate my genuine efforts to help, do it yourself." Flipping through the pile of lists, she extracted one with Ann's handwriting on it. "Here. You say the names and I'll criticize."

Taking it, Ann mumbled, "I'm not _criticizing_, I'm just being realistic', but started to read anyway. "I've got perfectly suitable people, see? Fuji Yuuta, Akutagawa Jirou, Fuji Syusuke…"

"Fuji Yuuta, out," said Tomo decisively. "He can be a nice guy and is one of the more normal people we know. The downside is he tends to get so…_angry_. Like Kaidoh except Yuuta's really upset instead of just pretending. Plus, he's too competitive. Sakuno's not like that. They would never understand each other."

"Fine," admitted Ann grudgingly. "But I still say we keep him an option. Put him below Eiji, and maybe even Taka…but definitely above Oshitari."

"Okay." Tomo wrote down a few words. "As for Jirou…"

_The brunette pig-tailed girl and sandy-haired boy strolled into the park, hand in hand. "Ne, could we sit down for a moment, Sakuno-chan? I'm kind of tired," Jirou murmured._

"_O—of course, Jirou-kun," agreed the girl readily, anxious to please her date._

_And so the young couple settled down on a nearby bench in a cozy, secluded spot by a tinkling water fountain. They were surrounded on three sides by tall, lush bushes boasting sweet-smelling pink blossoms; twittering birds sang away in a tree over their heads as hazy sunlight danced a slow, wavy dance through the leafy canopy._

"_It's so beautiful here," Sakuno whispered in awe…_

_And was answered by a low snore_.

The vivid daydream playing in Ann and Tomo's minds burst. "Absolutely not," they announced together.

"Moving on. So. Fuji Yuuta, middle; Akutagawa Jirou, near the bottom. Fuji Syusuke…" Here the younger girl stopped to consider. She was quiet for a minute, her head tilted slightly to one side and frowning in thought, then looked up at the other, impressed. "You know, I think you might be onto something here."

"Aren't I?" Ann preened. "I mean, he's kind, he's considerate."

"He's gentle and reassuring."

"He can be a witty conversationalist."

"But he also listens to other people talk." Tomo's pen flew across the page as her grin widened.

"He's courteous."

"He's charismatic."

"Wickedly clever—"

"With a touch of mischief."

"AND," Ann rounded off triumphantly, "he's also really, really cute."

"Perfect!" crowed Tomo.

"Perfect," her satisfied senpai echoed. "In fact, I think he should be our number one choice."

"Totally."

Having reached a conclusion, both girls stirred themselves, standing up and stretching. Arching her back, Ann eyed her queen-sized bed with its two fluffy pillows and matching beige blankets longingly. "Should we call it a day, then?"

"I suppose so," her fellow schemer said with a wide yawn. "You know, I still feel kind of bad about not inviting Sakuno."

Naturally, Ann assured her that she didn't feel any better about it. Their weekend sleepovers, whether they were held at the Second Year's home or in either of the freshmen's, had always involved all three girls. It was a rare thing for only two to be present. "But it can't be helped," she said, shrugging. "It's not like we could plan a date _for_ her in front of her. You know how she'd take it."

"True. She's definitely not see why it's for her own good. I bet she still has no idea what's wrong with the way Echizen treats her."

They exchanged glances and rolled their eyes.

"She's hopeless."

"Not any more," Ann promised grimly. "We're calling Fuji first thing tomorrow."

* * *

"Phones off, everyone. We don't need any distractions today."

It was bright and early when a peculiar assortment of Seigaku High tennis team regulars gathered outside the residence of a fifth teammate. Momo, Eiji, Fuji and Inui stood in a loose circle making last minute checks and mental preparations for the day's _Mission: Impossible!_

Oddly enough, it was the youngest among the four who gave the prep talk. "Okay…so I know this is the first time we've worked together on anything big… Except I played doubles once with Inui senpai. And Eiji senpai." He gave both a nod of acknowledgement. "Oh, and Eiji senpai used to play with Fuji senpai—actually, never mind. Don't worry about coordination and synchronization and stuff like that."

"We aren't," Fuji assured him.

"That's good to hear. So, now we assemble our troops and head off to battle!" Momo cried out with the grand bravado of a proud general about to go to war.

Nobody moved.

"…All right. Great assembling. Now…LET'S GO."

And they marched in single fine through the gates to the Echizen family home.

* * *

In the bedroom of a certain Tachibana heiress, Osakada Tomoka watched her friend anxiously. "What's going on?"

Ann clicked her mobile phone shut in annoyance. "He's not answering. I think he turned it off."

"Darn," Tomo growled, and both girls sighed irritably, thinking that they would have to try and arrange Sakuno's date for her a little later.

* * *

Ryoma was having the time of his life. He was playing tennis with his father and—he could hardly believe it—he was _winning_.

"Love, forty!" his cousin Nanako cheered from beside their backyard court.

The Prince of Tennis grinned like he had never grinned before. One more point, just one more point and he would cease to be the Prince of tennis. Instead, he would finally be the _King_ of tennis. "Oi, are you ready yet, old man?"

His father gave a hoarse yell that could barely reach from baseline to baseline, due to its low volume. Ryoma had to suppress a smirk. Nanjiroh sounded exhausted. Looked it, too. His mud-brown monk's robes were drenched in sweat and covered with dirt from all the times he'd taken a dive and slid along the ground in attempt to return the ball. Futile attempt.

"Here I go," the boy called out, still feeling energy and adrenaline pump through his veins. Tossing his tennis ball up, he brought his racket smashing down on it with a surge of power.

"Game and match, Ryoma! Six games to love." Nanako reported the score, stunned into a daze.

Finally, the youngest Echizen—and now the best tennis player in the family—couldn't control himself any longer. He broke into a small but audible fit of chuckling as he gazed across the court. Nanjiroh hadn't even budged an inch from his ready position.

"Ryoma…" At last, his father came to his senses and stared at his son, his eyes filled with amazement, reverence and pride. "Ryoma…"

"RYOOOOMA…!"

The boy in question could practically see his eardrums creaking and sagging as they were assaulted by the loud and obnoxious yell of a middle-aged retired tennis player going by the name of Echizen Nanjiroh. Groaning in protest, Ryoma grabbed a tip of the mountain of bed sheets he was buried under, and stuffed it into his ear. "Shut up, old man," he slurred sleepily.

Truthfully, he was filled with the foreign but seductive impulse to go and pound his father for waking him up at the crack of dawn—and interrupting the _best_ dream, no less!

Fortunately for Nanjiroh, it was really much too early for that kind of thing, and Ryoma loved his bed. It was nice and warm and cozy under masses of thick blankets, half smothered by two huge, fluffy pillows.

That is, it _was_ nice and cozy and warm. Things changed a little after the blankets were whipped off and dumped onto the floor unceremoniously along with the pillows.

"Oyaji," Ryoma complained, half whining. "What the hell?"

"Rise and shine, my darling brat," the eccentric man sang, clapping his hands jovially. "Time waits for no one—and neither do girls."

A harassed freshman struggled to process these words in his lethargic, sleep-clotted mind. "…Girls?" he mumbled blearily. Eyes wandering off his beaming father, they drifted over to the doorway, where, sure enough, there stood a short, slender girl with brown hair. At first glance, he thought she was vaguely pretty.

Then he blinked. As his vision gained its normal clarity, he looked her over again and choked, springing off his bed quick as lightning. "Oyaji, that's not a _girl_. That's Fuji senpai!" He threw out a hand and pointed at the smiling BOY in case his father didn't get it.

Nanjiroh frowned deeply at his wildly agitated son. "Now, Ryoma, I know who he is. How many times have your friends come round to visit? Sure I can recognize them all. I'm not stupid, you know—"

"That's news," Ryoma muttered.

"—And don't point like that. You're being rude," the worse parent figure on the face of the earth scolded. "Go put on a shirt and greet your senpai properly."

The boy froze. He looked down at his bare chest and boxers. The he looked up again at his upperclassman, who was still smiling pleasantly. Grabbing his father bodily by the shoulders, he shoved the man, still sniggering, out the room, and slammed the door.

Collapsing against the blessed partition, he slid down to sit, slumped, on the carpeted floor, his eyes still wide with incredulity and indignation. Jeez. What was Nanjiroh _thinking_—?

Wait. On second thought, he probably didn't want to know.

"Oh Ryoma…" his father's high, mocking voice leaked into the room like neon-green slime. "I think some pants might also be a good idea."

Ryoma pounded his fist against wood, and heard noises of someone scuttling away, followed by gleeful, cackling laughter.

"Saa, Echizen."

The poor boy jumped a foot into the air, despite being in a sitting position. "Yes, Fuji senpai?" he moaned, wishing with all his might that the last few minutes were also a dream.

"Come downstairs when you're ready, all right? There's something I and the others need to tell you." At least Fuji's voice was normal and devoid of mirth. It was reassuring to know that _someone_ was being mature and stopped to think of other people's feelings. Ryoma felt a rush of admiration and gratitude for the boy that was now his favorite senpai.

"By the way, your Mickey Mouse boxers are adorable. Very 'you'."

Okay. Make that, _least_ favorite.

* * *

"Ann, I've been thinking."

From where she was examining a box of ready-made waffle mix powder (Omaru's Wonderful Waffles! Just add a splash of water and stir for a healthy and delicious breakfast!) Ann answered distractedly, "Yeah?"

"Do you think it might help Sakuno if we're there for her when she goes on her date?"

"Uh, Tomo, you might not have noticed this, but normally, one guy and one girl go on a date. Not one guy and three girls."

Tomo shook her head vigorously. "No, no, _no_, that's _not_ what I mean." Pouting, she glowered at her friend for a moment, before breaking into a smirk. "Uh, Ann, you might not have noticed this, but normally, one girl and one guy go on a date, _or_, three guys and three girls can go together. They're called 'group dates'. But of course you've never been on one."

"And you have?" Ann snapped, ripping open the box of waffle mix and pouring the contents into a bowl. "I bet you've never been on A date, never mind a group date."

"So? You've never been on one either, and you actually _asked_ a couple of boys out. Or tried to, anyway," Tomo shot back, though not as scathingly as she could have been. "But that's not the point. What I'm trying to say is, should we stay with Sakuno instead of just carting her off to Fuji and then letting her fend for herself?"

That last jab was in no way forgotten to Ann, but seeing as her kouhai did seem to have valid idea, she channeled her displeasure into whipping up batter like a human blender. "Stop disrespecting your elders. You'll get yourself into so much trouble one of these days. But I get what you mean about the date. So you think we should find ourselves someone and go with her?"

"That's what I'm asking you."

"Well…" She stirred the batter, her spoon gradually slowing down as her arm began to ache. The other noticed this, and relieved her of the task. "I suppose it couldn't hurt. It would definitely make her more at ease if we were around, as long as we don't get into her and Fuji's way."

"Exactly," said Tomo earnestly. "So are we agreed? Do we find guys and make it a triple date?"

"Sure thing."

"I knew you'd say that." The former captain of Ryoma's fan club grinned happily. "Now we have to choose dates for ourselves. Good thing we have a few lists."

Turning on the stove, Ann retrieved a frying pan from a cupboard overhead. "Oh, I don't think we'll need those. Just ask someone at school on Monday."

Tomo stared, taken aback. "But…who?"

"I don't know… Let's surprise each other."

"We could end up trying for the same guy," she warned, still unsure of herself. Thinking about dates was fun, but actually going on one? And asking a boy out? Such a thing was still incredibly new to her.

Ann snorted. "I doubt that. Different taste. Yours is awful."

"So is yours," Tomo snipped back pettily.

But both girls were smiling, and their 'vicious fight' didn't stop them from sitting down to eat breakfast together once the waffles were more or less cooked. Getting out plates, forks and butter, the two settled at the table. The chef of the day took a bite of her food, and made a face. "Remind me why we're having this stuff again?"

"Because Sakuno's not here to make anything else."

"Oh."

They picked through their meal, hungry enough to manage to swallow.

"Ann? Next time we need some time for a private talk, let's just pick a weekday and do it over the phone, okay?"

"Good thinking."

* * *


End file.
